BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2022
A Few Tips To Observe Black History Month - Southern New England Conference of the UCC here:
https://www.sneucc.org/blogdetail/a-few-tips-as-we-observe-black-history-month-15871456
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In his book Jesus and The Disinherited, Howard Thurman (https://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/who-was-howard-thurman/) "demonstrated how the gospel may be read as a manual of resistance for the poor and disenfranchised. Jesus is a partner in the pain of the oppressed and the example of His life offers a solution to ending the descent into moral nihilism. Hatred does not empower-it decays. Only through self-love and love of one another can God's justice prevail." Rev. Thurman was a friend and mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Harvard's world-wide Implicit Project survey https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ is an interesting facial recognition survey people can freely take that may provide an idea of how subtle biases can be in terms of age, gender, race, etc.
As one way to understand Black History, consider reading:
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson, 2011
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From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America. Wilkerson compares this epic migration to the migrations of other peoples in history. She interviewed more than a thousand people, and gained access to new data and official records, to write this definitive and vividly dramatic account of how these American journeys unfolded, altering our cities, our country, and ourselves. Click to read more.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The primary purpose of this page is to acknowledge that the UCC church recognizes the need for educating our congregations about Black History, which includes addressing racial issues that have ensued.
Our congregations are made up of people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and yes, biases that may have evolved unconsciously because it is common in all humanity. A primary aspect of addressing injustice is creating awareness of where it has existed and how it affects all of us.
This path towards racial and economic justice then involves addressing systemic structural aspects and causes. These causes evolve over time in most cultural contexts as individuals, circumstances and systems interact. We are impacted by our history, and our religious beliefs. These postings are intended to offer avenues for those who would like to explore how to inform their faith-based beliefs in this social context.
Please contact Jackie Cassiday re any concerns or further information about this page at socialjustice@topsfieldchurch.org.